Pineapple Fried Rice with Katie Chin

Katie Chin is a chef and author and you've probably eaten her mother's cooking. Katie helped her mom Leeann Chin in the kitchen when she was creating food for her popular restaurants. Now Katie is continuing that tradition with her own children and her new book Everyday Chinese Cooking passes on those traditions to you!

Katie prepares her Pineapple Fried Rice recipe from the book and shares this excerpt and recipe with us:

Pineapple Fried Rice

When my mom and I made this on the Today show a few years ago, it didn’t occur to me to slice the underside of the pineapple before going on live television so it would be easier to cut on camera. Needless to say, it was a bit of a struggle to cut through that pineapple quickly, but Al Roker charmingly dubbed my huffing and puffing the “Everyday Chinese Cooking Workout”! I love this recipe because the presentation is so impressive—the rice is served right in the pineapple shell. The chunks of fresh pineapple are sweet, bright and refreshing, perfectly offsetting the saltiness of the soy sauce in this dish. Chicken, shrimp, mushrooms and egg round out this delicious and refreshing dish.

Serves 4 to 6 as part of a multi-course meal

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

1 whole pineapple

2 large eggs, slightly beaten

1 teaspoon salt, divided

Dash of white pepper

2 tablespoons oil, divided

3 cups (450 g) cooked and chilled white rice

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 cup (150 g) cubed cooked shrimp

1 cup (150 g) cubed cooked chicken breast

6 white button mushrooms, sliced

½ cup (75 g) fresh or thawed frozen peas

2 green onions (scallions), finely chopped, plus more for garnish

Salt, to taste

White pepper, to taste

1 Cut the pineapple in half lengthwise. Following the rim, cut deeply around the inside of the pineapple, being careful not to pierce through the skin. Cut the flesh inside the pineapple into cubes by making long slices down the length of the pineapple and then make 1-inch- (2.5-cm-) wide crosscuts. Scoop out the flesh using a flat-edged spoon and reserve.

2 In a medium bowl, combine the eggs with ½ teaspoon of the salt and the pepper. Whisk to blend.

3 Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a wok or skillet over medium heat. Add the eggs and stir-fry until they have set, but are still moist. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

4 Wash and thoroughly dry the wok or skillet, then heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add the cooked rice and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Mix in the soy sauce, shrimp, chicken, mushrooms, peas and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cooked eggs, reserved pineapple flesh and green onions and stir-fry for 30 seconds more. Season to taste with the salt and white pepper.